Contextualism

General theories of explanation: buyer beware

by Kareem Khalifa

Experimenting on Contextualism

by Nat Hansen

Co-authored with Emmanuel Chemla. Forthcoming in Mind & Language.

In this paper we refine the design of context shifting experiments, which play a central role in contextualist... more In this paper we refine the design of context shifting experiments, which play a central role in contextualist debates, and we subject a large number of scenarios involving different types of expressions of interest to contextualists, including ‘know’ and color adjectives like ‘green’, to experimental investigation. Our experiment (i) reveals an effect of changing contexts on the evaluation of uses of the sentences that we examine, thereby overturning the absence of results reported in previous experimental studies (so-called null results), (ii) uncovers evidence for a ‘truth bias’ in favor of positive over negative sentences, and (iii) reveals previously unnoticed distinctions between the strength of the contextual effects displayed by scenarios involving knowledge ascriptions and for scenarios concerning color and other miscellaneous scenarios.

What Can Modes Do for (Moderate) Relativism?

by Teresa Marques

Il CONTEXT AND COGNITION: INTRODUCTION

by Guy Tiberghien

Epistemic Contextualism, Shifting Targets and Disagreement

by Robin McKenna

draft only.

Colour, Contextualism, and Self-Locating Contents

by Keith Allen

Draft. Comments welcome.

This paper argues against two accounts of the representation of colour in perception, thought, and language that are... more This paper argues against two accounts of the representation of colour in perception, thought, and language that are consistent with relationalist theories of the nature of colour: Jonathan Cohen’s contextualist semantics for colour ascriptions, and Andy Egan’s suggestion that colour ascriptions have self-locating contents.

On the Availability of [] Literal'Meaning: Evidence From Courtroom Interaction

by Maj-Britt Mosegaard Hansen

On An Alleged Truth/Falsity Asymmetry in Context Shifting Experiments

by Nat Hansen

Philosophical Quarterly, 2012

Keith DeRose has argued that context shifting experiments should be designed in a specific way in order to accommodate... more Keith DeRose has argued that context shifting experiments should be designed in a specific way in order to accommodate what he calls a ‘truth/falsity asymmetry’. I explain and critique De- Rose’s reasons for proposing this modification to contextualist methodology, drawing on recent experimental studies of DeRose’s bank cases as well as experimental findings about the verification of affirmative and negative statements. While DeRose’s arguments for his particular modification to contextualist methodology fail, the lesson of his proposal is that there is good reason to pay close attention to several subtle aspects of the design of context shifting experiments.

Knowing Future Contingents

by Ezio Di Nucci

Logos & Episteme (forthcoming)

This paper argues that we know the future by applying a
recent solution of the problem of future contingents to... more This paper argues that we know the future by applying a
recent solution of the problem of future contingents to knowledge
attributions about the future. MacFarlane has put forward a version of assessment-context relativism that enables us to assign a truth value 'true' (or 'false') to future contingents such as There Will Be A Sea Battle Tomorrow. Here I argue that the same solution can be applied to knowledge attributions about the future by dismissing three disanalogies between the case of future contingents and the case of knowledge attributions about the future. Therefore none of the traditional conditions for knowledge can be utilized to deny that we know the future, as I argue in the last section.

Theory 101

by Erik De'Scathebury

So many *isms*, so little time...

A brief introduction to Functionalism as used in archaeological theory. A brief introduction to Functionalism as used in archaeological theory.

Craigian Contextualism and Radical Scepticism

by Robin McKenna

Draft only.

Language and biosemiosis: Towards unity?

by Stephen J. Cowley

This is a draft of a paper that appeared as:
Cowley, S. J. (2006). Language and biosemiosis: towards unity? Semiotica, 162(1/4), 417-444.

Although many pay lip-service to the view that signs are common to culture and biology, it remains unclear how such a... more Although many pay lip-service to the view that signs are common to culture and biology, it remains unclear how such a unity could emerge. Indeed, while those working with culture usually ignore biology, biologists rarely consider how their observations bear on issues of meaning. So, when sign-making is studied, its outcomes are usually interpreted either against a cultural surround or models of how semiosis is represented in the brain. Often it is implied that the only alternative is a biolinguistic view where syntactic computations are used to claim that (internal) language has its basis in molecular biology (Jenkins, 2000). In what follows, I challenge the view that verbal language are, on any such view, entirely separable from persons, neural processes and the sensorium. Building on Eerdmans, Prevignano and Thibault’s (2003) overview of what Gumperz’s opus offers to the ‘theory and practice of communication analysis’ (2003: vii), I consider how to naturalize contextualization cues. I argue that, since much contextualizing is independent of ‘meaning potential’, we can turn to how indexical sense-making is grounded in biosemiosis. Sketching such a model, I link Barbieri’s (2002) approach to semantic coding with Damasio’s (1999) view of core consciousness to show how human judgements can use the feeling-of-what-happens. During talk sensitivity to the feel of biosemiosis prompts us both to adjust to each other in real-time and to make verbal judgements about how they sound and act.

Epistemic Contextualism, Epistemic Relativism and Disagreement

by Robin McKenna

Forthcoming in a special issue of 'Philosophical Writings'.

Language flow: Opening the subject

by Stephen J. Cowley

This appeared as
Cowley, S.J. (2009) Language flow: opening the subject. Cognitive Semiotics, 4: 63-91.

Analysis of linguistic forms does not clarify experience of language. Pursuing this, the paper turns to dynamics and,... more Analysis of linguistic forms does not clarify experience of language. Pursuing this, the paper turns to dynamics and, using examples, introduces language flow. It is suggested that sensory perception uses movement that can be independently described (from different perspectives). Next, using Barbieri’s model of protein synthesis, attention is given to how experience is possible. It is suggested that, in principle, the operations of organic coding may have interactional counterparts. By analogy, prosodic ‘contextualization’ becomes felt reaction that influences real-time response. This parallels how anticipatory gaze is used to generate reading aloud. Finally, using neuroscientific work on intersubjectivity, it is suggested that norms and rewards may reconfigure neural processes that use experience of perception-actiion in sensing what is meant. On this view, language identifies how we use collective practices to integrate verbal patterns, action, and lived experience. Wordings thus constrain both the flow of langauge and, inseparably, the feeling of thinking that enriches how we act and perceive as we live the lives of human subjects.

Against fallibilism

by Dylan Dodd

Forthcoming in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy

I argue that a subject S knows that p only if the probability of p on S's evidence is 1. We should be willing to... more I argue that a subject S knows that p only if the probability of p on S's evidence is 1. We should be willing to accept this 'infallibilist' thesis even if doing so forces us to embrace skepticism.

Against the identification of assertoric content with compositional value

by Brian Rabern

Synthese (forthcoming)

This essay investigates whether the things we say are identical to the things our sentences mean. It is argued that... more This essay investigates whether the things we say are identical to the things our sentences mean. It is argued that these theoretical notions should be distinguished, since assertoric content does not respect the compositionality principle. As a paradigmatic example, Kaplan's formal language LD is shown to exemplify a failure of compositionality. It is demonstrated that by respecting the theoretical distinction between the objects of assertion and compositional values certain conflicts between compositionality and contextualism are avoided. This includes the conflict between eternalism and the semantics of tense, the embedding problems for contextualism about epistemic modals and taste claims, and the conflict between direct reference and the semantics of bound pronouns (and monstrous operators). After presenting the theoretical picture which distinguishes assertoric content from compositional semantic value, some objections to the picture are addressed. In so doing, the objection from King (2003) stemming from apparent complications with the interaction of temporal expressions and attitude reports is assessed and shown to be non-threatening.

Reference and indexicality

by Erich Rast

Rast, Erich: Reference and Indexicality. Serie Logische Philosophie, Vol. 17. Logos, Berlin 2007.

Reference and indexicality are two central topics in the Philosophy of Language that are closely tied together. In the... more Reference and indexicality are two central topics in the Philosophy of Language that are closely tied together. In the first part of this book, a description theory of reference is developed and contrasted with the prevailing direct reference view with the goal of laying out their advantages and disadvantages. The author defends his version of indirect reference against well-known objections raised by Kripke in Naming and Necessity and his successors, and also addresses linguistic aspects like compositionality. In the second part, a detailed survey on indexical expressions is given based on a variety of typological data. Topics addressed are, among others: Kaplan's logic of demonstratives, conversational versus utterance context, context-shifting indexicals, the deictic center, token-reflexivity, vagueness of spatial and temporal indexicals, reference rules, and the epistemic and cognitive role of indexicals. From a descriptivist perspective on reference, various examples of simple and complex indexicals are analyzed in first-order predicate logic with reified contexts. A critical discussion of essential indexicality, de se readings of attitudes and accompanying puzzles rounds up the investigation.

Meaning and Context

by Erich Rast

Baptista, Luca / Rast, Erich (eds): Meaning and Context. Peter Lang 2010.

Contents: Luca Baptista/Erich Rast: Introduction - Manuel García-Carpintero: Norms of Presupposition - Emma Borg:... more Contents: Luca Baptista/Erich Rast: Introduction - Manuel García-Carpintero: Norms of Presupposition - Emma Borg: Minimalism and the Content of the Lexicon - Anne Bezuidenhout: Contextualism and Information Structure: Towards a Science of Pragmatics - Augustín Vicente/Fernando Martínez-Manrique: Lexical Concepts: From Contextualism to Concept Decompositionalism - Isidora Stojanovic: Referring with Proper Names: Towards a Pragmatic Account - Kepa Korta/John Perry: Intentions to Refer - Brian Ball: What Is Semantic Content? - Sandy Berkovski: Some Remarks on Mthat - Teresa Marques: Truth and the Ambiguity of Negation - Ana Falcato: The Contextualist Fight Against Minimalism - Salvatore Pistoia-Reda: Some Notes on Game Theory and the Pragmatics of Alternatives - Andrei Moldovan: Can Uses of Language in Thought Provide Linguistic Evidence?

Reference and Indexicality: PhD Thesis

by Erich Rast

If you're looking for similar content but with many corrections and less linguistic oddities, please order the book in the Logos series "Logische Philosophie" which was revised and edited heavily.

I lay out a modal description theory of reference, show how to reply to the Kripkean challenge (insofar as the... more I lay out a modal description theory of reference, show how to reply to the Kripkean challenge (insofar as the arguments of Millians are comprehensible), and lay out why in my opinion Millians and descriptivists talk at cross purpose. In a nutshell, a descriptivist theory of reference is feasible but not necessary for modeling semantic reference.

The second part develops a descriptive theory of indexical reference and discusses essential indexicality.

Just FYI: In contrast to what is suggested in chapter 8 of the thesis I've recently (2011) changed my mind about de se attitudes and do now believe like most others that they need to be modeled as being truth-conditionally relevant rather than explaining them away as pragmatic phenomena. I've changed my mind mainly due to Stalnaker's recent work on the analogies between the Knowledge Argument and de se puzzles, especially Lewis' two gods. -- a paper is in preparation.

Plausibility Revision in Higher-order Logic with an Application in Two-Dimensional Semantics

by Erich Rast

published in Arrazola, Xabier and Ponte, María (eds.): LogKCA-10 - Proceedings of the Second ILCLI International Workshop on Logic and Philosophy of Knowledge, Communication and Action. San Sebastian/Donostia: University of the Basque Country Press/ILCLI 2010, pp. 387-403.

The printed version unfortunately contains some nasty and embarrasing errors, most of them caused by hitting the Emacs key for "downcase region" just before the final deadline. :O

In this article, a qualitative notion of subjective plausibility and its revision based on a preorder relation are... more In this article, a qualitative notion of subjective plausibility and its revision based on a preorder relation are implemented in higher-order logic. This notion of plausibility is used for modeling pragmatic aspects of communication on top of traditional two-dimensional semantic representations.